Report: Dolphins, Lions talked RB D'Andre Swift earlier in offseason

The Miami Dolphins have been heavily connected to Dalvin Cook, but this isn’t the first time the team considered bringing in an experienced running back. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (and via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques), Miami inquired about D’Andre Swift before the RB was traded from the Lions to the Eagles.

Swift’s production in Detroit didn’t match Cook’s Pro Bowl-caliber stats in Minnesota and the 24-year-old certainly wouldn’t match the upside of the soon-to-be free agent. Still, the running back would have provided the Dolphins with an intriguing option in the backfield. Despite finding himself in and out of the starting lineup, Swift averaged more than 900 yards from scrimmage and scored 25 touchdowns during his three seasons in Detroit.

Swift was ultimately traded to the Eagles for a fourth-round pick and the Dolphins ended up pivoting to Texas A&M running back Devon Achane in the third round. Swift is only owed $1.7M in the final year of his rookie contract.

It was assumed the Achane pick would be the end of the team’s major moves at the position. Both Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. seem locked into roster spots after leading Miami’s rushing attack in 2022. Former starter Myles Gaskin is also still on roster (albeit with a non-guaranteed contract).

Still, the team appears to be the front-runner for Cook, assuming the running back is cut by the Vikings on Friday. The Dolphins discussed Cook with the Vikings in March, and the team was listed as a potential landing spot last week. We heard earlier Thursday that the veteran RB was “very much intrigued” by playing for his hometown team, so it might not take long for a deal to come to fruition.

Also earlier on Thursday, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson tweeted that Cook’s next deal probably won’t come close to the $10.4M he was set to earn in Minnesota, though we can assume that the Pro Bowler will still require a heftier contract than what’s owed to Swift in 2023.